This is a title that should be of interest to most people of my age as we went through the Vietnam war in one way or another. Some of us in the military and others going through the turmoil that the war created.

During this time period, the US Army was building up at a tremendous rate and such was the need for helo pilots that a warrant officer program was pushed by recruiters to get men whose lack of a college education would not make them eligible to be commissioned officers. It was hoped that many of these men would either apply to OCS or accept promotion at a later time to 1st Lieutenant. This did not happen. In fact, to the dismay of the Army, these warrant officer pilots had the audacity to act more like enlisted men than commissioned officers. They related more to the men they were carrying in their helos and those that maintained them than the often aloof officer pilot cadre!

Helicopter pilots were called upon to fly almost daily during their one year tour. This could be a wide variety of missions from hauling troops to a 'hot' landing zone, providing weapons support, carrying mail or VIPs, retrieving wounded, or acting as an airborne command post. Though the UH-1D/H 'Huey' was the most widely used helicopter in Vietnam, there were also a variety of other types from the large CH-47 Chinook to the nimble AH-1 Cobra gunship.

This book tells the story of these men. How they were recruited, how they were trained and how they were used in combat. There is more on the equipment they used, and how they lived. This latter section is one that resonates with may of us as the terms and slang used are something that has stayed with us. Hearing them sparks a flash of memory that can be anything from pleasant to bitter-sweet.

All of this is accompanied by superb and well-chosen period photos as well as the excellent illustrations of  Steve Noon. In all, an outstanding book on the subject that I know you will want to add to your library.

July 2008.

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